Designer dreams: Philippe Starck's most incredible hotels

Paramount Hotel, New York

Before Mama Shelter, there was the Paramount. Not long after The Royalton was completed, the Starck was persuaded by Ian Schrager to embark on a second venture in the Big Apple. Initally reluctant, he was lured by the promise that the rooms would cost just US$100 a night. He set about giving the hotel an artistic vibe that had hitherto rarely been seen outside high-end estabishments.